"I beseech you Alex Crowe. Stop Valus and put an end to the Dark Plague."
Silence befell in the cemetery between the reaper and the angel of death. However, Alex's response was a scoff.
"You can keep your blessing, because I won't do this for you. But if the fallen angel and his darkness wants to get in my way, I'll kill him, like all the others."
Azrael could see certainty in his intentions, but he could also see bloodlust in his eyes. Even if he manages the defeat Valus, left unchecked he may well be a threat given the power he wields.
"That is fine, so long as your decision brings an end to his madness. I shall not impose. But I must warn you, Valus will use your pain to torment you. If you are caught in his traps, focus on what is important to you and only then will he be in your reach."
Azrael bids him farewell before flying and disappearing into the light. When the light faded from the clouds, silence filled the air and everything went back to normal.
It was a surreal encounter. If the darkness plague is so bad that the angels had to get involved, it would be a concern. He knew he would eventually have to deal with it. But then he remembered what he came to do and he failed.
The guy Matt was swallowed in the darkness, he did what he could. He'll have to report back to Blaire, she would not be pleased.
Giving a heavy sigh, he picks up his scythe and converts it into its rifle form and walks away.
Alex was always ready for whoever comes to fight. However his mind was on why Azrael chose him to do it, because he's a revenant yes, that it's appropriate for the situation. But this Dark Harbinger as the other angel calls him, even the book mentions him as such. Just what is the Dark Harbinger? What's his role in all this?
Another thing on his was that Azrael's warning that the fallen angel will use his own pain against him. Could it be he was referring to the despair inside and what he really wants?
'Heh, what would an angel know about despair?' he thinks as he shrugs off the thought.
As he reached the gate of the cemetery and exited, the air began to feel cold. Alex did not like this feeling. A cold mist begins to form the ground as he grabs the handle of his weapon, he turns on his Aura Sense to see where it comes from and a red trail of aura leads in front of him and then it clicked him.
"Of course." Alex groaned.
Alex jumps away as a wave of ice almost catches his feet and lands next to it.
"Back for more, Wolf Prince?" Alex taunted.
The assailant behind the spiky wave of ice was none other than Nate Wolfe, clad in white. His silver hair shone on the moon, but his blue eyes screamed bloodthirsty anger rather than the sense of duty he last saw.
"Silence!!!" Nate bellowed as he summons ice shards and launches at them. Alex swings his weapon to break any ice shards coming his way.
"Here to arrest me? You already know I don't come quietly."
"This is personal!" Nate barked back.
Alex paused, intrigued to know where this is going.
"You knew who I was when we met, you knew who my father was, didn't?" Nate demanded while pointing his sword at the reaper.
"I did." Alex didn't hesitate to answer, already knowing what this is about.
"Then tell me.....Did you kill him?" Nate asked with seriousness in his voice.
Alex looks at him dead in the eye.
"Yes."
Silence fills the air. Nate's sword fell limp to his side.
"I see..." the white knight said lowly.
Mists of ice began to swirl violently around him. This prompts Alex to grip his folded blade rifle tightly, ready for anything.
"...then it's true. You killed my father." Nate snarled.
The swirls of ice explode, leaving a violent breeze, though not enough to faze Alex. Nate raises his sword and enters a fencing stance.
"And I shall avenge his death!!!" Nate declares.
He rushes at Alex, which he responds with blocking. Nate then follows up with more strikes as Alex plays on defensive.
Alex knew something was off. Nate was usually more calculating in his fights, but now he fights wild and impulsive. Given that he's driven by revenge was no surprise. Alex would chuckle at that irony, and that in his recent days he remembered Shin and his ninjas. A father who wants to avenge his son and now a son who wants to avenge his father, and those three people weren't innocent, only Nate's naivety wasn't lost on him.
Alex kept dodging and blocking him where it frustrates Nate even more. Nate went for a strike from above, but Alex caught him by his hand and forced him to smack himself in the face, stunning the man clad in white before Alex double kicked him.
Nate roars back before stabbing the ground, unleashing ice spikes and forcing Alex to jump back. Then Nate follows up with ice shards, which Alex rolled to the side to avoid them. But he did not predict that his legs were frozen in place once he recovered, unable to move. He saw Nate's crouching down with his left palm planted on the ground where the ice trail led.
Nate then rears back his sword and dashes towards Alex with his sword aiming for stab.
"Not this time." Alex said calmly as he turns into shadow mist and dashes away, freeing himself from the ice and Nate could reach him.
Alex finally gained distance between him and Nate. Nate charges at him but Alex is already prepared, he morphs his left arm into a demon claw. Just as Nate gets close enough, Alex stabs his claws to the ground and pillars of spikes made dark red eldritch magic rise up and stabs lightly at Nate's shoulder, arm, and thigh before recoil from the pain and knocking him back on the ground.
Just as Nate was about to get up, Alex was already onto him, with his own blade pointed at his neck.
"Are you going to kill me? Like you killed my father? Why did you kill him?" Nate demanded with anger.
Alex could see the hate in Nate's eyes clear as day, but he also saw the eyes of a scared and lonely little boy...
...eyes he once had.
"What do you know of your father?" Alex finally asked.
Nate maintained the glare but still answered him. "I know he was ambitious, but he was also a great man. He made me strong yet provided for me. He taught me you must use your convictions to forge your path, and never falter if everyone is against you."
Alex heard those words similar from what his father said to him. Perhaps both Alex and Nate were not so different after all.
"Your father, Alistair Wolfe is a scum. He spearheaded an organization of killers and theives. What do you think was your precious Order of the White Sword was built from?"
Alex's explaination predictably sent Nate into denial. "You're lying!"
"The money he paid for your comfortable life, your academic tuition, they were not his, and my family was one of his victims. He took everything from me, so I killed him for revenge. You, however, have your life ahead of you. I don't care if you believe me or not, let this go now if you do not wish to be a monster..."
Alex withdraws his blade and turns his back on him.
"....that life is not living." Alex says bitterly as the bangs of his hair shadows his eyes and walks away.
Nate clenches his fist and calls out to Alex.
"And what of you? Is your life even called living?"
Alex stops in his steps and turns his head on Nate as he continues to rant.
"You're living that life aren't you? Killing for revenge or survival, and then you tell me that it's not living? If so, then why are you still alive? Is killing all you do? Tell me!!!"
Alex's eyes widened in shock, because there's truth in his words. It's true he killed out of revenge and he got what he wanted, but he didn't stop there did he?
"Forget it. Why do I bother? If you have nothing to live for, then you should die!!!"
Nate grabs his sword and charges at Alex, and when he was about to reach him, Alex swipes his sword away and punched him in the face, sending the Wolf Prince flying to the ground. He grunts for a while then gets up to fight, but Alex was already gone.
He took a second to process before his fist clenches and teeth seething. He want to chase him but he couldn't pinpoint where he's gone. He got away.
"COWAAAAARD!!!!" he howls in anger.
He breathed heavily due to his anger. Then he eventually calm down, stabbed his sword on the ground and hoisted himself up. Even if he could chase him down, his energy was nearly spent, in both his ice magic and stamina. He has no choice but to withdraw for now.
As frustrated as he is, he couldn't stop thinking about what Alex said to him. That father was a scum and had taken everything from him. He thought back of every memory of his father, that he provided for him, supported him to the military academy, praised his accomplishments, and funded his own organization the White Sword.
Did he never truly know his father that well, or was it lie to torture his emotions?
Once again, doubts fill the Wolf Prince's head, like he had in Empire City.
__________________________________________
(Alex's POV)
I finally managed to escape that Wolf Prince, speeding away from the entrance of the cemetery, I decided to use the rooftops.
As I parkour through the rooftops, my mind is stuck in what he said. For three years since I destroyed Hollow Hills, I've done nothing but kill, it's all I ever knew. So obsessed with death that it never occurred to me what it's all for. Be it people who deserved it or to feed my power, what if I never had real cause to kill?
Is this all what my life is?
No, it has to be more than just vengeance and bloodshed. I have to redefine my life.
And I know someone who can help me with that.
As I made my way into the church, I slipped the window to where I sleep then made my through the pillars, took off my mask and just as I hoped, I found her.
Lana sitting on one of the pews reading a book, she was probably waiting for me. Best I don't keep her long enough.
I jumped off from the catwalk and landed on my two feet, which gained her notice.
"You always do like your entrances, don't you?" Lana asked amusingly.
"Kept you surprised?" I rebounded.
"More like I'll be knowing what to expect, that you like to look cool. Were you looking to impress me?" She sneered with a grin.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I replied, attempting to dissuade the idea.
But it doesn't seem like she was convinced. "Hehehe okay." She sang.
We both looked at each other for a moment, then my gaze fell to the book she was reading.
"Good book?" I asked.
She then took notice of the book she's holding. "Oh, it's a fairytale book. One that I'm going to read for the children tomorrow, so I need to get practice in."
"Why do care for these children so much? Not that it's strange or a bad thing, just curious." I asked.
She looked away for second as if she's thinking, then she turned her gaze back to me. "Because I wanna tell them that not everything in this world is bad, to tell them that they can make their own their light. Light that keeps them alive, light that creates dreams, light that gives them hope. Without it, we may as well live meaningless lives with no way out."
Perhaps that's what I had been missing, the value of a life.
"I know it sounds cheesy and all.." Her cheeks flushed with shyness. But I interrupted her.
"I think it's just. You're a good soul, Lana. And let no one tell you different."
I saw her reaction turn to surprise. Once I realized what I just said, I instantly looked away as my cheeks begin to feel warm. But I saw her beaming.
"Oh?...was that a compliment?" Lana sang with a chesire grin.
"No I..." I was about to protest but stopped before he could turn her away.
'What am I doing? This is my opportunity. *Sighs* It's now or never.' I think to myself. I swallowed my pride and calm myself down as I feel the warmth of my cheeks fading away.
"I...I meant it. Which is why I need your help."
Alex looks at her in the eyes as she stared back with curiosity. Alex takes a deep breath and slightly bowed to her.
"Please teach me how to value life."